How Pioneers Of Pagonia Expands The City-Builder Through Procedurally Generated Challenges

gamespot.com:

Last week, Volker Wertich--creator of Ubisoft's city-building sim series The Settlers--and his new studio Envision Entertainment announced Pioneers of Pagonia, a brand-new entry into the city sim genre.

Set on the island of Pagonia, players will create a new settlement using dozens of building types and goods offered throughout the adventure. Goods are found by exploring procedurally generated islands, each one rich with both resources and unknown dangers.

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Now Playing: Pioneers of Pagonia Teaser

After the game was revealed, we had the opportunity to speak with Wertich about how he's approaching this new title, which includes some insight into the game's procedural generation. He speaks about how using that method of level building is a change in philosophy for him, but one that is instrumental to Pioneers of Pagonia.

We also spoke about elements and lessons learned from Wertich's experience in the city-building realm that have influenced the game's development. Finally Wertich highlights the importance of hiring a team of developers also well versed in this area, as it allows the team to worry less about foundational systems and focus on more unique ideas.

Pioneers of Pagonia will launch in Early Access on PC later this year, with a full release date to be announced in the future. This interview was conducted via email and edited for clarity.

GameSpot: In developing this new game, what elements from your previous games did you want to include here, and where did you decide to try something new?

Volker